Coca-Cola KO) and PepsiCo PEP) have long been staples for investors seeking exposure to some of the world’s most recognizable consumer brands. Both beverage giants also offer dependable dividends and defensive characteristics that can make their stocks attractive when economic uncertainty rises. However, their latest quarterly results suggest there is a widening gap between the … Read more
Ford and Stellantis Make Brilliant Moves to Gain Market Share. Is It Too Little, Too Late?
The whipping post
Key Points New car prices continue to hover near record highs of $50,000, causing a near-affordability crisis in the U.S. auto market. Ford has new affordable models coming out, including its recently named Fathom, a $30,000 EV truck due in 2027. Stellantis has a significant nine vehicles under $40,000, and two lower than $30,000, set … Read more
Sea's AI Push With OpenAI Could Deepen Shopee's Competitive Edge Now
The whipping post
Sea Limited SE has added a concrete artificial intelligence (AI) catalyst to Shopee through a strategic partnership with OpenAI. The June agreement targets AI-powered e-commerce across Southeast Asia and Brazil, broader access to ChatGPT and deeper developer engagement through Codex. For investors, the opportunity is practical rather than purely promotional. Shopee already uses AI in … Read more
Dow Slips While the S&P 500 Clings to Friday's Record High
Key Points The S&P 500 held just above Friday’s record close while the Dow and Nasdaq Composite slipped slightly. Brent crude has swung from $113 in the spring to near $80 last week and back to $86 today, all on varying war headlines. Second-quarter earnings are nearly wrapped, with analysts expecting profit growth near 50%, … Read more
Alphabet's Cloud Computing Business Just Posted 82% Revenue Growth. Next Quarter Could Be Even Better.
Key Points Alphabet saw its backlog of contracted cloud computing services climb to $514 billion last quarter. It’s spending huge amounts of capital to build additional capacity. The long-term profit and cash-generation potential can’t be ignored. 10 stocks we like better than Alphabet › The amount of money being spent on AI compute was plainly … Read more